SPRINGFIELD -- Just days after adding University of Cincinnati transfer Bry Snow, the Missouri State Lady Bears gained another official commitment Tuesday (May 11) in the from of Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) product Tia Mays. A 6-1 forward, Mays is eligible to compete immediately in 2010-11 and will have three years of eligibility with the Lady Bears.
"Tia will make an immediate impact for us, particularly on the defensive end of the floor and on the glass," head coach Nyla Milleson said. "She has a long, athletic build and low-post scoring capabilities, but I think the key is that she will improve our interior defense from day one. We feel like the addition of Tia is a nice finishing touch on a strong class."
At DMACC, Mays averaged a double-double in 2009-10, her first in the junior college program after initially attending the University of Iowa on a basketball scholarship the previous academic year. The Des Moines native contributed 12.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per outing in helping the Bears to a 20-10 record and an NJCAA Region XI Division II semifinal appearance. She also blocked 3.6 shots, while recording 1.4 steals and handing out 1.5 assists per game. In recognition of her efforts, Mays earned Division II First-Team All-Region honors from the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference.
Mays was a four-year letterwinner and starter at Des Moines East High School, earning all-state recognition her junior and senior seasons. She was a McDonald’s All-America nominee prior to her senior year in 2007, as well as a preseason honorable mention All-America selection by Street & Smith’s in 2006. A four-time all-conference honoree, she helped lead the Lady Scarlets to a school-record 19-5 mark and a berth in the Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament as a junior in 2006-07.
Mays also lettered in volleyball and track and field at East, where she was a National Youth Council and Leadership representative and an honor roll student.
With Mays’s commitment, the Lady Bears’ incoming class of newcomers now numbers five and includes freshmen-to-be Karly Buer, Desiree Phillips and Hannah Wilkerson, as well as Snow, who will also have three years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2010-11 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
The Lady Bears will return 10 letterwinners and four starters from this year’s 22-11 squad that advanced to the third round of the WNIT after finishing third in the Missouri Valley Conference.
